By the time the consultation on the next Framework Research Programme closed on 20 May the Commission had received 750 written responses and more than 1,300 people had filled in an online questionnaire.
The huge number of responses speaks volumes about the importance that people across the EU attach to Framework as the largest single source of funding for R&D in Europe. It also highlights the number of diverging interests that the Commission must accommodate as it wades through the responses in order to give initial feedback at a meeting in Brussels next Friday (June 10).
But a quick perusal of published responses from national governments, research institutions, lobbying groups, companies and individual scientists reveals a marked unanimity – at least in terms of the headline demands - for more money, for simplification of administration, for a focus on excellence and for Framework Programme 8 (FP8) to help with funding large-scale scientific infrastructures.
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Author: Nuala Moran
